Chapter 769-770 (1/2)
Chapter 769: Clever Beasts
Lan Jue paused ”Why is it bad that there are so many survivors?”
Lan Qing explained in his typical emotionless voice ”Did you think about why there were so many survivors? These creatures are on the top of the food chain, there have any nuenes No, there's another reason - to delay us Once the fight starts I'm sure they'll find a way to make us watch as they kill any human left What e do then? We don't have a choice, we have to save them We'll have to save e enough to do the job we ca do you think this rescue will take?”
Lan Jue's face darkened as he understood what his brother was saying He'd been focused on whether or not the planets were evolving because it was integral to their plan, but now he sa tricky things really were They had been right to assuun the evolution process, but no one kne long it would take If they got bogged down in a massive rescue mission the worst case scenario was too dire to contemplate
”They're too damn clever” Lan Jue shook his head ”But we can't just leave the about hundreds of thousands of people! Can't we find a way to have it both ways?”
A spark flashed in Lan Qing's eye ”I've been thinking about it I' and Hua Li, then we'll talk about it There's a lot we'll need to change froinal plan”
Lan Jue's heart sank Their situation was getting worse by the hour If they focus their efforts on saving people they didn't have enough soldiers to clear the planets of aliens,for the alien home worlds
After a little while Kang Hui, Hua Li, the Wine Master and the Keeper arrived They gathered together to discuss the plan Lan Jue began by sharing what he'd learned, going over everything in detail The others listened with increasingly deepening scowls
Lan Qing first swept his attention over to the Keeper ”Your Majesty, have you discovered anything about the infected?” He was likely here for just that reason
The Keeper, his face dark and iun to see e can learn, their condition is complicated Simply put they suffer from a sort of disease - a terrible affliction that attacks the victienetics and bodily functions On the surface the syths, extends their life, and releases potential by stiree However, at the core of it this disease poisons the victim'stheenous with all the other infected We believe this is how the aliens control them”
”So you're saying,” Lan Jue cut in, ”the aliens are capturing hu their potency in order to use them as their own tools? As a way to better understand our technology?”
The Keeper shook his head ”That was my hypothesis at first, but evidence disproves the theory This affliction causes human DNA to activate and become more readily definable This would allow theenetic makeup in order to assist their own evolution”
”Isn't this what you told us when you caenetic infors”
Lan Jue nodded ”Is there a e can turn them back? Reduce the number of afflicted?”
The Keeper frowned ”It's difficult We've never seen anything like this before, and understanding it well enough to develop a cure will take tioes beyond any y it will take one or two years before we can research a cure”
Lan Jue shrugged ”Perhaps there's another method? Some scientific process or…”
But the Keeper cut hi suitable to be used in this case This disease directly attacks the genetic code We can't si the aberrant bonds At best we return theetative state which there is no cure for So far as we've been able to tell there is only one option There ht off the poison with their own immune system If we can find anyone who is able to do this we can extract their cells and use them to develop and antidote However, it is i soenes is very small”
The aliens and their poisons were strong Indeed it would not be easy to find someone with the innate ability to resist them
Lan Jue's eyes flashed ”What if an Adept is infected? Our bodies are stronger than a typical human, would we be able to develop antibodies that could be useful?”
The Keeper balked ”In theory, yes, but the dangers are great They would likely be enormously powerful, a fact I'm sure the aliens themselves had considered It may be why they haven't tried it”
Lan Qing interrupted the We ht noe need to focus on how to adjust the plan with the information we have at hand”
Even Lan Qing couldn't help but feel the pang of helplessness gnawing at his chest Although his brother's ht back was not what they wanted to hear Allied forces were now faced with an impossible situation They were duty-bound to save those people, but it would invariably slow their operation to a crawl They would be leaving the alien planets to complete their evolutionary process unmolested
Since no one kne long it would take for their transfor before a ticking tioes off, it truly would mean the end
Their plans were certainly going to have to change
Kang Hui scowled as he thought ”Adree that these unfortunate victims need to be saved, we must consider the facts We sileWe th, but this may very well be our last opportunity You have to choose, which is more important?”
Lan Qing nodded in understanding Everyone wanted to save whoever they could, but it the effort would break them It not only interrupted their carefully laid plans, but also risks losing them the war
Lan Jue chimed in ”We can , or at least preparing to That etting involved in a fight While we can't be sure about Europa, it's certain there are many survivors left on the others planets, and even more if we consider the infected How can we live with ourselves if we leave the says to be true If it boils down to having tothe alienall of us, all across human space”
Lan Jue's heart was in a knot even as he spoke the words Of course he hoped he could save everyone, but did their situation allow it?
Lan Qing replied ”If we could have it both ways that would be the best, even if it brought considerable risk But it would all rely on having enough strength to do the job Let's put our heads together and see if we can't figure so out”
Hua Li finally lent his voice to the conversation ”Doing both est you make preparations for a full attack At the very least we'll be ready to take any opportunity that presents itself, and at best we can es if a better solution is found If we can't find a way to save those people, it won't detract froht”
His suggestion was theHui was conflicted with the dilemma they faced The death of so many of his countrymen had left him with a deep and painful impression He desperately wished for some way to save the Westerners from a similar fate
Lan Qing nodded At present Hu Li's suggestion was the most suitable At least for now, it was the best they could do
”Very well, we stick to the original goals andsaid, his voice hard and low
Lan Jue sat there in silence He already knew the plan very well, right now his sole focus was finding a way to save those people
How many souls were left on those seven planets? They had families, spouses, children… now their ho their lives apart The thought went through Lan Jue's ain He could feel their pain, see their hopeless expressions His character demanded that he take any chance to save them, even if it were one in a million
But they had another responsibility to the whole human race that was just as important, so a situation that attacked both proble these people had to rest on the pre the alien threat Otherwise, what purpose would saving them serve? If the alien home worlds were allowed to evolve, it would only delay the inevitable
Chapter 770: A New Plan
How could they save these people while not negatively affecting theirevery possibility
Theti had done had to be thoroughly changed with the addition of Lan Jue's information